JavaScript vs Python: A Comparison and How to Choose

JavaScript vs Python. Both are incredibly popular languages, and each serves a very different purpose. According to the TIOBE index, Python is currently the number 1 language and JavaScript is number seven. If your business is serious about creating rich, effective applications and services that can be used either internally or by the public at large, chances are strong you are looking at both of these languages.

But what purposes do these languages serve? Those who’ve worked with them know the difference is considerable. If you’ve never read about or touched either Python or JavaScript, you’re in for a treat.

Let’s take a dive into both JavaScript and Python to see what they are used for and how you can choose which language to work with.

What Is JavaScript?

Simply put, JavaScript is a front-end programming language. What does that mean? Front-end means user-facing. In other words, a front-end application is one that users actually see and use. It’s an app with buttons to push, fields to type in, animations to enjoy, and menus to select from.

To be more specific, JavaScript is a programming language that allows for the implementation of user-friendly and even complicated features for web pages. For example, you might want a menu that’s animated such that when a user hovers over an entry, the menu automatically pops out with a unique or fun animation to give your website a bit of panache. After all, a boring website is a quick way to turn users off. If you want to truly compete with other sites, you want to add bells and whistles to your site to give it a more modern feel (while still remaining highly functional).

JavaScript can do that for you.

JavaScript was created by Brendan Eich and was first released on December 4, 1995. Back then, web pages were static, so content didn’t change unless the page was reloaded. In 1995, Netscape added a scripting language to the Navigator browser. To do that, they hired Eich, who then embedded the Scheme language into the browser. That wasn’t enough, so Netscape decided to have Eich create a brand-new language, which was initially called LiveScript. The name was then changed in December to JavaScript.

Now, JavaScript has become an incredibly important scripting language for websites. Without JavaScript, most sites would be pretty boring and far less functional. And because the language is so widespread now, it’s very easy to hire developers or even a JavaScript development company to help you design and build a modern, highly functional website.

Advantages

The advantages of JavaScript are many, including:

• Easy to learn – JavaScript is a very easy-to-use language with a simple syntax that is user-friendly even for beginners.
• Client-side execution – JavaScript is executed within a web browser, which means it doesn’t require much in the way of server-side resources.
• Client-side validation – JavaScript validates user input on the client side, so there’s no chance invalid data will be sent to the server.
• Vast community – JavaScript is so popular that it has a very large community, which means plenty of support.
• Plenty of libraries/frameworks – With so many libraries and frameworks available, your developers won’t have to constantly reinvent the wheel, saving time and money.
• Built-in browser debugging – Most modern browsers include developer tools that make it very easy to debug JavaScript.
• Full-stack applications – JavaScript is also useful for building full-stack applications and can be integrated with other stacks, such as MERN and MEAN.
• Speed – JavaScript is an interpreted language, which makes it very fast.

Disadvantages

Although JavaScript has many advantages, it does have a few disadvantages to consider, such as:

• Security – JavaScript is visible to the user, which means the source code can be copied and used for malicious purposes. Also, since execution happens on the client side, you must depend on the user to have a secure environment (such as an updated web browser).
• Single inheritance – JavaScript only supports single inheritance, which means a class inherits its properties from a single class. This can be limiting.
• Easy failure – A single error in your code can cause the entire JavaScript stack you’ve created to fail.

What Companies Use JavaScript?

Because JavaScript is so popular, it should come as no surprise that plenty of major companies use the language. You’ll find companies such as the following are making use of JavaScript today:

• Facebook
• Google
• Microsoft
• PayPal
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Walmart
• Uber

What Tools Integrate With JavaScript?

You’ll find plenty of tools that work well with JavaScript, such as:

• Visual Studio Code – a widely popular, open-source IDE that has JavaScript support built in
• React – a JavaScript library, created by Facebook, that offers new and modern ways to render dynamic, high-performance UIs for websites
• Angular – another JavaScript framework that is capable of writing client-side applications and supports HTML
• Electron – makes it possible to create cross-platform desktop applications with JavaScript, HTML, and CSS

What Is Python?

Python is a high-level, general-purpose programming language that was designed for code readability and ease of learning. To that end, Python is one of the easiest programming languages to learn on the market. But just because it’s easy to learn doesn’t mean it’s not powerful and flexible.

Python was created by Guido van Rossum and was first released on February 20, 1991. Python’s aim was to be the successor to the ABC programming language. Rossum continued to serve as Python’s lead developer until 2018. Python 2.0 was released on October 16, 2000, which was then followed by Python 3.0 taking over in 2020.

Python is a multi-paradigm language, so it supports both object-oriented, aspect-oriented, and structured programming. The language uses dynamic typing, reference counting, and cycle-detecting garbage collection. The core philosophy for Python can be summed up with the following principles:

• Beautiful over ugly.
• Explicit over implicit.
• Simple over complex.
• Complex over complicated.
• Readability over everything.

Python is used everywhere, for all types of applications, including artificial intelligence, so it’s not even remotely challenging to find a Python development service to help your business build the perfect application.

One key aspect of Python is that although it’s possible to create client-side applications, it is considered a backend language.

Advantages

Python has a number of very important advantages, such as:

• User-friendly – Python is one of the easiest languages to learn.
• Cross-platform – Python can be installed and run on nearly any platform.
• Extensive libraries – Python enjoys a large number of libraries and frameworks for just about every purpose.
• Concise syntax – This means your development teams can do more with far less code.
• Big data – Python has a number of libraries that can be used with big data.
• AI/ML – Python is also one of the most popular languages for working with artificial intelligence and machine learning.
• Large and active community – Python is open-source and has a very large community base for support.
• Prototyping – Python is a great language for creating quick prototypes.

Disadvantages

Although Python is rife with advantages, it does come with a few disadvantages, including:

• Slow – Python is slow and can use a lot of system resources in larger applications.
• Lack of mobile support – You won’t be developing mobile apps with Python.
• No multi-threading support – Python does not support multi-threading, which can be a problem with high-demand, at-scale applications.

What Companies Use Python?

Python is used by a number of prominent companies, such as:

• Intel
• IBM
• NASA
• Pixar
• Facebook
• JPMorgan Chase
• Spotify
• YouTube
• Reddit
• Pinterest
• Instagram

What Tools Integrate With Python?

Given the flexibility of Python, and the different use cases, it should come as no surprise that there are plenty of tools that integrate with the language, such as:

• Jupyter Notebook – a web-based IDE that makes it easy to experiment with code
• Pip – a package manager for Python
• Visual Studio Code – one of the most widely used IDEs and has built-in support for Python
• Scrapy – an open-source collaborative framework for web scripting
• Flask – an open-source web framework for building web applications and REST APIs
• Pandas – a tool to make it easy to work with data science

Key Differences Between JavaScript & Python

There are a number of key differences between JavaScript and Python, including:

• JavaScript is a front-end language, whereas Python is a backend language.
• Python is a high-level programming language, while JavaScript is a scripting language.
• Python requires an interpreter, whereas most web browsers include the ability to run JavaScript.
• Python is encoded as ASCII, while JavaScript uses the UTF-16 encoding.

What Does the Future Look Like?

Neither JavaScript nor Python is going anywhere. In fact, with the rise of AI and the continued prevalence of dynamic websites, both languages will flourish for years to come.

JavaScript Vs Python: Who Wins?

Because they serve such different purposes, it’s hard to claim one a winner over the other. However, because of the rise in popularity of tools like ChatGPT, Python could easily come out on top in the near future. However, should those services start requiring more modern and user-friendly interfaces, JavaScript will be called upon.

When to Use JavaScript

The most obvious use case for JavaScript is creating dynamic, interactive, and exciting user interfaces for websites. However, JavaScript is also perfectly at home with web and mobile apps and games.

When to Use Python

Python is a great language for website backend services, task automation, data analysis/visualization, AI/ML, language development, game development, and finance applications.

If you enjoyed this article, check out one of our other Python articles.

• What Can a Good Python Developer Do to Help Your Company?
• How to Hire a Python Programmer
• Is Python Good for Software Development?
• Is Python the Language of the Future?
• Comprehensive Guide to Python List Objects with Examples & Built-in Functions